This is the great Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Song, as loose and as brilliant as you have ever heard. On stage, Ella Fitzgerald was recorded prolifically, from Hollywood to Newport, from Chicago to Berlin. What's amazing is that across all four discs is material that had never been released anywhere before: wonderfully intimate and swinging performances from the Crescendo nightclub on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, CA, where Ella and her band were relaxed and seriously tuned into each other. From wherever you start to however you finish, TWELVE NIGHTS OF HOLLYWOOD is a delight. VOLUME'S 3 & 4 feature songs such as "Come Rain or Shine," "Candy," "Rock It for Me," "Mack the Knife," "Hard Hearted Woman," "My Kind of Boy" and more.

Only now have I learnt how to write quartets properly." So wrote Beethoven in 1801, having just finished his first set of string quartets at the surprisingly advanced age of 30. The competition of Haydn and Mozart must have been intimidating for the young composer. Performed here by the Jerusalem Quartet, these six String Quartets Op.18 already display much boldness and originality, from the dramatic echoes of Romeo & Juliet in No.1, to the astonishing programmatic finale of No.6, "La Malinconia.

TIGRE

2019 release by the nine-time Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Norah Jones. Begin Again is a collection of singles that gathers seven eclectic songs that Jones has recorded over the past year with collaborators including Jeff Tweedy and Thomas Bartlett. Features the new song "Just a Little Bit," which was produced by Jones and features her on vocals, piano, and organ along with Brian Blade on drums.

Rachmaninoff's output of chamber music is small but all the more precious for that. Two absolute gems bear witness to the fact: these ‘elegiac trios’, which were produced by a young composer still indisputably under the influence of Tchaikovsky. However, Rachmaninoff’s personality is already fully present, reaching heights of emotion and expressiveness.

The pieces by Suk and Grieg add a further touch of character to the picture, which is painted with an exceptionally rich palette: the artistry of the phenomenal Trio Wanderer.

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REVIEWS:

The Rachmaninov Trios share not only a sombre soundworld but a clarity of line that’s captured engagingly in these lyrical yet unsentimental performances by the Trio Wanderer. The Wanderers’ performance, a notch faster than many, has an urgency that is highly persuasive. Grieg’s dark and impassioned Andante con moto fits right in after all this, and the disc is rounded off with a sweetly understated Elegie by Suk. – BBC Music Magazine

The Trio Wanderer’s new disc, centred around Rachmaninov’s youthful trios, has all the finesse and subtlety that we’ve long associated with this French ensemble. From the start, though, one thing struck me – how curiously un-Russian these pieces sound in their hands. It’s partly due to their emphasis on clarity of texture, together with a certain Classical restraint.

– Gramophone

TCHAIKOVSKY

Deluxe four CD edition. Bach's monumental Goldberg Variations stand alone in the piano literature as a work of unique artistry and brilliance. Lang Lang first began exploring this masterpiece more than 20 years ago and presents this record as the outcome of a long personal and emotional journey. Marking a new stage in Lang Lang's artistic development, it is the project of a lifetime. Alongside a studio recording is a contrasting performance, a single take from a recital in Leipzig's iconic St Thomas Church, where Bach worked and is now buried. The heart of this project is the deluxe edition - a unique offering with simultaneous studio and live recording.

The original soundtrack to the four-time Emmy Award British historical drama, DOWNTON ABBEY, features music by acclaimed composer John Lunn.

MUDDY WATERS - ESSENTIAL ORIGI

2020 release. Blue Note debut by cornetist and composer Ron Miles, this is the follow-up to his widely acclaimed 2017 album I Am A Man, featuring the same remarkable collaborations. Miles wrote most of the music in Summer 2018 as his father was passing away; it's both a loving dedication and a riveting spiritual document that scores the journey from Earth to eternal peace. "Rainbows deal with renewal. Sometimes, our limitations can inform what we can see."

Previously unissued release of studio recordings from pianist Bob James at Wollman Auditorium at Columbia University in 1965. Features James in two different trio settings: one from January 20, 1965 with bassist Larry Rockwell and drummer Bob Pozar, and one from October 9, 1965 with bassist Bill Wood and drummer Omar Clay, performing a mix of jazz standards and original compositions. Includes an extensive booklet with essays, new interviews, plus rare archival photographs. Tracks 1 through 4 were recorded on January 20, 1965 with Larry Rockwood on bass and Robert Pozar on drums. Tracks 5, 6, 7, and 8 were recorded October 9, 1965 with Bill Wood on bass and Omar Clay on drums.

Antoine Tamestit and Masato Suzuki, Principal Conductor of the famous Bach Collegium Japan, immersed themselves in Bach's three sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord in order to present this sublime interpretation using a modern viola. The change in instrumentation allows the artists total freedom to rediscover the exquisite qualities of these all too rarely played masterpieces. HARMONIA MUNDI

Original soundtrack to the 2019 motion picture. The music was composed by John Williams, who has worked on every Star Wars film since the first one in 1977. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, following The Force Awakens (2015) and The Last Jedi (2017), and the final episode of the nine-part Skywalker saga". It is top to bottom music. We've done four days and we just scratched the surface. I think we've got something like 34 minutes in the can at this point. But I can tell you that every theme that you've heard is going to be compiled into this last effort. Leia, Yoda, 'Phantom,' Darth, all of it is going to be in there. And in his usual style, he hides them. You gotta go look for them." John Williams

Two CDs. The second complete show to be issued from Keith Jarrett's 2016 European tour, following the acclaimed Munich 2016 concert. This double album documents the pianist's solo performance at Budapest's Bela Bart�k National Concert Hall. Jarrett, whose roots go back to Hungary, saw it as a homecoming; the context inspired much creative improvisation. His later concerts are comprised of independent movements, each a marvel of spontaneous resourcefulness and creative energy.

Elf is the latest Jon Favreau-directed film starring Will Ferrell is a hilarious holiday comedy for the whole family. Soundtrack includes songs by Louis Prima, Ferrante & Tercher, Eartha Kitt, Biran Setzer, Ella Fitzgerald, Wayne Newton, Stevie Wonder, Billy Preston, Johnny Osbourne, Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and more!